Krystal’s Cafe 81
“Try the sizzling sisig, sinangag (garlicky rice), lechon kawali and kare kare.”
“I'm Filipina and I have to say that Maharlika and Jeepney are more fusion than authentic.”
“Oxtail (Kare-kare) – This consists of oxtail, tripe, eggplants, green beans, and other vegetables stewed in a peanut sauce.”
Krystal’s Cafe 81
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I love Krystal Cafe– I always come here (even at it's old location) and bring friends and everyone loves it.
What's not to love? prices are super cheap (esp compared to it's Filipino restaurant competitions) and there's never ever any wait!! So the next time your contemplating on waiting an hour for a table and you're HANGRY come here -it's literally blocks away from the other restaurants.
My favorite dish that I always order is the longanisa (sweet pork dish with garlic rice and tomatoes and onion) For apps– I enjoy their wings and the sizzing sig sig.
they also have fun drinks here- including a volcano bowl which I just discovered recently.
I love how unpretentious this place is -it gives off a very chill and homey vibe- and the servers are so nice which makes me always want to come back.
**check in on yelp for a free slice of cake**
I am a regular at this spot.. not going to lie. You can catch me here every Sunday.. I'm Filipino so I always get cravings to eat Filipino food. Prior to my fiance taking me here, its usually a struggle to get a fix on that cravings.So far this is the only place that passed her taste bud test!
We tried the dinuguan, crispy pata, tocino, fried fish, sinigang, kare Kare, sisig, and pork belly.They all tasted amazing and high quality. Most of the filipino restaurants are pretty much Sh*tty. This place is the only place that's consistent!
I would eat here every day if I can, specially the crispy pata. Keep up the good work guys see you over the weekend!
thank you for accommodating our very large, very indecisive group last night. not only were you nice about it, you were all very kind about trying to get us a table.
is hard to find blood stew in manhattan, but the bf and I were super excited about it. I ordered the filipino breakfast because there are delicious eggs and garlic rice. and I of course added longanisa. I really enjoyed the food, which came in heaping portions at really affordable prices. next time I'm ditching everyone else and coming here alone.
Who knew Krystal's opened a place in the city?! If you're a fan of good Filipino food from Woodside, then you already know about Krystal's. If you like Krystal's, (and why wouldn't you?) you'd like Cafe 81 as well. We stumbled upon this place while waiting for a table at another restaurant nearby.
With a party of 4, we opted to go the family style route and ordered a bunch of items to share.
– Whole tilapia in coconut sauce was only ok. We wished we had ordered the fish as filet or in a different style. The fish wasn't hot, so it might've been sitting for a while. Additionally, the tilapia was too fishy and didn't taste very good. On top of that, the coconut sauce it came with was overpowering and lacked flavor.
– Chicken adobo portion was small with exactly 4 pieces of chicken. The taste was good, as adobo always is, but the portion left much to be desired.
– Beef sinigang was quite sour and filled with huge cubes of beef. The issue we had with the beef cubes were that they were too chewy and too big. The cubes wasn't easy to bite through, it diminished the sinigang experience for us.
– Marinated grilled pork belly was crispy and tasty.
– Halo halo was amazing and refreshing, it was a great way to end a meal. Easily shareable between 2 or even 3 people. Let it melt first and enjoy every part of the dessert.
– Lastly, the staff was super nice and accommodating. They even allowed us to check in on multiple yelp accounts to get our free ube cake slices.
This is a nice change from the other Filipino restaurants in the area. We didn't like the food at the other places too much as it was lacking authenticity and overpriced. Though the price here at Krystal's is not as budget friendly as in Woodside, the food is at least way better than the other restaurants nearby.
Gimme your love. Don't stop. Baby, keep it comin'.
This is definitely one of those restaurants you wished wouldn't get popular, so that it doesn't become overcrowded, but popular enough to stay in business, because you're a selfish selfish human being. Don't worry, I'm at fault too. We can all go to hell together.
You… me… & that anorexic girl I'm still in love with. A love paralleled by the ardent flames of my heart for sausage… Filipino sausage ;D. I have a particular friend who would love to hear me say those words to him, but he knows all too well I'm talking about that Longinissa. Oh, longinissa, how I love thee. How I long for longinissa. How I count the days until you bless my mouth with your delicate, yet firm crust, and your tender innards. Your juices, it permeates my soul. Your smell, pierces the Heaven sky, and renders my inhibitions asunder. You, a mere sausage, makes a man out of a boy, and a beast out of a man… and all for $9. There is no better time to be alive.
Minus 1 star for not having chicharrons as a side dish. Plus 1 star for that cute waitress I had last time (you know who you are!). Minus another star because your garlic rice wasn't really garlicy.
And minus 1 star on the quality of my own life for writing this at 2 in the morning. Seriously, why am I not asleep?
I forgot to put in a review. For me, this is a find! It is authentic Filipino restaurant in the heart of East Village!
The ambience is modern and clean with a bar which many people look for.
Very reasonably priced and accepts credit card!
I particularly like the fried milk fish or bangus, the mongo bean vegetable (which reminds me of lentil soup) and their crispy pata – which is like the German Pork hock with perfectly crisp skin.
Our bill was amazingly reasonable for such a nice place that does not look like a dive; and eat real freshly cooked food!
I definitely will go back! It's a place one can eat every day and try their assorted menu. Why cook!
Awesome Filipino restaurant by St. Mark's Place! When you check-in, you can request the dessert at the end of the meal (both the mocha and ube slices of cake were delicious). Overall, the prices are great; however, I do not understand why the drinks at the bar would be cheaper than if they were ordered to the table (the drinks seem to be the same size).
Food-wise, the kare kare and congee (with tripe) were well-made and homey. You can request the congee with patis (fish sauce) or lemon juice (or both). The waitress and staff are very friendly and on point with our orders, refilling our waters and checking up on us. Our favorite appetizer was the grilled stuffed squid, which paired well with the sour, vinegar sauce. We loved the drinks here, especially the mango margarita, Manila Mule, soursoptini, calamansi mojito, just to name a few.
Went here with a big-ish group for a former coworker's going away dinner. Both of us are Filipino so this was a nice family-vibe send off for her! Definitely want to go back.